This post has been updated.

More Claire photos are up for friends and family at Flickr.

My life is managed now in small chunks of time.

5:00 a.m.: Claire awakes and I feed her.
6:00 a.m.: Done feeding, change the diaper, have a little interaction, try to let her sleep again. Use the secret weapon if needed, so I can get my coffee, peanut butter toast, and glass of milk.
7:00 a.m.: Claire stirs awake again and is hungry. Feed her, change her, play with her, lull to sleep again.
8:00 a.m.: Use the bathroom, get dressed. Write one thank-you note.
9:00 a.m.: Feed the baby, change the baby, play with the baby, put the baby down for a nap.

And if need be, put down the half-eaten toast, abandon the coffee, and set the pen aside if she is fussy and requires some TLC.

Lather, rinse, repeat. Husband participates as well, of course. We’re working on a sleep system. The doctor approved us letting Claire sleep for one five-hour span each 24 hours. She seems inclined to do this from around 1 to 6 a.m. or so, and we’re cultivating this habit. I go to sleep at 9:30-10:00 p.m. (and hopefully fall asleep, which can be hard for me) and arise at 5-6 a.m. when Claire awakes. Husband does the 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. feeding and puts her to bed, then he sleeps until about 9 a.m. This way each of us gets 6-8 hours of sleep a night.* This suits his work schedule and sleep habits as well, so we can continue this when he returns to work. I, on the other hand, am a night owl who is learning about an entirely different world that revives in the early morning. As long as I’m rested, I actually don’t mind getting up that early. Good thing, too, because that’s my job!

Grandma (Husband’s mom) left this morning. It was wonderful to have her assistance and to introduce her to Claire. I was sad at her departure. Yet I’m also ready to move forward with building our daily family life, and Grandma will return anytime we ask.

By the way, I neglected to mention this before, but Husband is an awesome man. He’s so loving to Claire and me, and his support of me throughout the labor, birth, and aftermath was steady, patient, and nurturing. I’m learning a new aspect of him, as I’m sure he is with me, as we settle into our life with Claire.

Update: *Of course, as soon as I wrote this post I was proven wrong. She awoke at 3:30 a.m. voraciously hungry. We’re still up and it’s 5:00 a.m. Every day is different; never boring!